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Share a Cup with Folgers

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of The J.M. Smucker Company. The opinions and text are all mine. I’m partnering with Folgers® at Walmart through the Share A Cup & A Story campaign, to celebrate new and old holiday traditions. The sweetest time of the year has finally turned its corner.

I love the end of the year for so many reasons. This is the season when the temperatures start to feel a little cooler, and the love starts to get a little warmer. There’s something about the cumulative holidays for me that makes me so appreciative of them in the first place.

I usually spend the holidays in a very contemplative state. It’s so easy to get caught up in life in our attempts to finish up the year, and the holidays are the perfect time to remind ourselves to slow down and take it all in. While reminiscing this weekend over a cup of Folgers® Classic Roast with my best friend, I got excited especially for one of my favorite holiday traditions.

One of my absolute favorite holiday traditions is Secret Santa with my best friends. I’ve had the same, solid group of best friends since high school, and thanks to Christmas we have a reason to make the time to see each other even during the craziness that ensues from November to January. Even with our busy schedules, family time, travel itineraries and adjustments into adulthood, we manage to keep it a holiday tradition because of what it foundationally means: taking a pause to enjoy time with some of the most favorite people in our lives.

For those of you who are unfamiliar with the holiday tradition Secret Santa, it’s a holiday game where a group of people randomly pick one person to give their gift to. The game is commonly played among larger groups of people, like coworkers, and there are different variations to the game. I think the thing I like the most about playing Secret Santa with a small group of my best friends is the fact that each gift is extremely personalized because we know each other so well. The thoughts behind the gifts mean much more than the actual, tangible gifts. I remember the year my best friend was my Secret Santa, and she got me a dance class to take with her at our favorite dance studio. Sometimes it even adds more fun to take a guess on who got you the gift.

SECRET SANTA 2014

It’s been almost ten years since we started this tradition. I can still recall the very first Secret Santa we held; it was at a Taco Bell after we slept over one of our dorms for the weekend. The last Secret Santa we held was after visiting a fondue place for dinner, something we all tried for the first time. Over the years, it’s definitely changed as we have grown into adulthood. I’m excited especially for this year because one of the biggest accomplishments one of us has made was purchasing a home. You can really see the time that’s passed from celebrating Christmas together in a fast food chain to someone’s own home. Although we do make time to see each other throughout the year, the holidays are extra special because of this one tradition.

I really hope that this tradition goes on for years to come. I love the way the main tradition stays the same even though the setting and circumstances transform with time.

Do you have any holiday traditions that you hold close to you? I want to hear all about it! Let me know in the comments below or #shareacup with me on Instagram! xx